NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. -- A judge certified one of four felony child abuse charges against a sheriff’s deputy and his wife from New Kent County.
Charles and Autumn Gray were arrested in March on aggravated malicious wounding and child abuse and neglect charges against their infant son.
At a preliminary hearing, a judge only certified the child abuse and neglect charge against Charles Gray after close to four hours of testimony.
Pediatricians at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU testified that the Gray’s son was admitted on February 1 with a fever and seizures and that he wasn’t eating well.
They said he had vomited, he was lethargic, and he had an altered mental status and poor muscle tone. They said imaging showed he had bleeding on both sides of his brain, a sprain in a ligament in his neck and multi-layer retinal hemorrhaging.
The VCU Child Protective Team, led by Dr. Robin Foster, who was also an expert in the case, determined that he had “abusive head trauma.”
New Kent County Detective Sergeant Michael Connolly testified that he interviewed the parents.
He said Mr. Gray called to tell him that he had to get something off his chest.
In an interview with Mr. Gray, Connolly said he told him that he played the airplane game with his infant son and his twin brother where he threw them up in the air and would catch them. Connolly said he explained when they cried, he stopped.
When Connolly explained that the injuries were more significant, he testified that Mr. Gray responded that he did it “harder than most people would have think.”
Connolly asked the Grays if they would be willing to take a polygraph. He said the couple wanted to discuss it in private.
Connolly testified that Mr. Gray asked him ‘Hypothetically, if they come forward and tell you yes, they shook the child what would happen to them.’ He said he told them he would have to consult the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Through court records, CBS 6 learned that Mrs. Gray was a daycare worker and Mr. Gray worked for the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office for three months.
“When Mr. Gray was charged by New Kent County Sheriff’s Office he was immediately placed on administrative leave pending his court appearance. He remains in that status at this time,” said York County Spokesperson Shelley Ward.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office had a representative from administrative investigations in court Wednesday.
The case heads to the grand jury next month.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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